Originally Posted by Totoori
My priority is comfort > gaming > music. I am not a huge fan of bass and would rather have more and cleared details. They will not be leaving my desk and I don't really have a strict budget.

Everything about that statement screams "Stax Lambda", except for two things:

If you thought the MA900 was ugly, a typical Lambda will utterly offend your eyes with its boxy design. They don't look pretty...but the sound and comfort are top-notch. Unfortunately, the sleek looking Stax sets are all Omega-series (SR-Omega, SR-007, SR-009) and firmly priced out of the reach of all but the most devoted audiophiles.

As for the MA900, it's proven itself pretty well, but keep in mind that the treble is kinda recessed and subdued. You'll need some EQ to bring it out.

Quote:

Originally Posted by FightCat

HD650 for gaming ?

Please discuss.

The HD650 has a review in the guide already, if you want Mad Lust Envy's opinion.

If you want a summary, this line should do it:

Quote:

I loved them for music, movies, TV, and anime, and liked but wasn't thrilled by them for gaming.

As for the HD600, no reviews there. Quite a shame, since a lot of what I've been reading suggests that the HD600 is actually better than the HD650 overall, despite what the prices suggest.

If you thought the MA900 was ugly, a typical Lambda will utterly offend your eyes with its boxy design. They don't look pretty...but the sound and comfort are top-notch. Unfortunately, the sleek looking Stax sets are all Omega-series (SR-Omega, SR-007, SR-009) and firmly priced out of the reach of all but the most devoted audiophiles.

As for the MA900, it's proven itself pretty well, but keep in mind that the treble is kinda recessed and subdued. You'll need some EQ to bring it out.

The HD650 has a review in the guide already, if you want Mad Lust Envy's opinion.

If you want a summary, this line should do it:

As for the HD600, no reviews there. Quite a shame, since a lot of what I've been reading suggests that the HD600 is actually better than the HD650 overall, despite what the prices suggest.

Yeah, I've read it now, I reserved a a couple of months old second hand one for about 350$ (in Turkey a brand new goes for 650$). Should I be disappointed with my decision? Should I go and get myself a DT990 Pro instead for which I've heard fatiguing trebles?

Would you be able to compare DT990 250ohm to HD650 in terms of being without amp? I've been made sure that the latter has no problems with portable media players but I couldn't make sure of the Beyer one.

Yeah, I've read it now, I reserved a a couple of months old second hand one for about 350$ (in Turkey a brand new goes for 650$). Should I be disappointed with my decision? Should I go and get myself a DT990 Pro instead for which I've heard fatiguing trebles?

Would you be able to compare DT990 250ohm to HD650 in terms of being without amp? I've been made sure that the latter has no problems with portable media players but I couldn't make sure of the Beyer one.

Thanks.

You need an amp for both of those headphones. I have never heard the Senns but with all the reading I have done the HD650 is one behind the hd800 as one of the most picky hard to drive dynamic headphones on the market. When MLE reviewed them I believe he was using an AudioGD Amp to drive them. AGD amps are known for gobs of power for a fair price.
The Beyer will be loud but the bass will be a sloppy gross mess. If you want to hear what a Beyer DT990pro sounds like with no need For an amp get a Superlux 668b or Samson 850. Only big differences will be the DT will have better bass and better clarity both things u won't notice without an amp or without owning both.
I am going to hit the MA900 hype train as well. They are fantastic out of everything.
I appreciate so many new people to the hobby. Three things you have to remember. We can't tell you how you are going to hear. (I think the HD598 is the biggest soundstage I have heard, many would disagree and say it is the Sony MA900 or AKG K701. Soundstage isn't everything.) You should always buy from a trusted website with a good return policy, sometimes the extra you pay will be worth it. You may have to listen to multiple headphones before you even understand what you truly want. Having multiple pairs is never a bad thing.Edited by Hailin - 12/8/13 at 6:54pm

^ this
A lot of good advice and a good way to frame perspective in Hailin's post there. Just to add to reading comprehension, "The Beyer will [get] loud enough [without a separate amp like a FiiO E09k,] but the the bass will be a sloppy gross mess."
I really like when you wrote "We can't tell you how you will hear" and "get from a trusted site with a good return policy," these go hand in hand and will go a long way in making each person happy and in the long run, save money!

One thing that I've noticed... Of the higher fidelity headphones, the way output impedance affects Sennheisers' headphones seems actually atypical; most of the headphones I own or have tried, even the V-MODA M-100, have very linear (not-changing) response to higher output impedances on amps. I looked at the Beyer DT880 too, and that didn't change much either by impedance. This isn't to say Sennheiser makes bad headphones, but it does lend credence to your statement that they're picky about amp synergy.

^ this
A lot of good advice and a good way to frame perspective in Hailin's post there. Just to add to reading comprehension, "The Beyer will [get] loud enough [without a separate amp like a FiiO E09k,] but the the bass will be a sloppy gross mess."
I really like when you wrote "We can't tell you how you will hear" and "get from a trusted site with a good return policy," these go hand in hand and will go a long way in making each person happy and in the long run, save money!

One thing that I've noticed... Of the higher fidelity headphones, the way output impedance affects Sennheisers' headphones seems actually atypical; most of the headphones I own or have tried, even the V-MODA M-100, have very linear (not-changing) response to higher output impedances on amps. I looked at the Beyer DT880 too, and that didn't change much either by impedance. This isn't to say Sennheiser makes bad headphones, but it does lend credence to your statement that they're picky about amp synergy.

What, if you don't mind asking, was the PortaPro safety mod?

I have noticed Senns are a bit picky with output impedances as well. I found Beyers to sound drastically different on tube amps compared to SS amps some reason, honestly I won't touch a Beyer unless it's on a tube amp. AKGs have just been picky in my experience, they don't need that much power, they just need enough power, but finding that synergy is key.

Originally Posted by FightCat
Yeah, I've read it now, I reserved a a couple of months old second hand one for about 350$ (in Turkey a brand new goes for 650$). Should I be disappointed with my decision? Should I go and get myself a DT990 Pro instead for which I've heard fatiguing trebles?

Would you be able to compare DT990 250ohm to HD650 in terms of being without amp? I've been made sure that the latter has no problems with portable media players but I couldn't make sure of the Beyer one.

Seems like a decent price for an HD650, given where you live.

I can't compare two headphones I've never heard at all. Seriously, I've never heard an AKG, Beyerdynamic or Sennheiser set, let alone the ones that everyone keeps talking about.